Highway

Mahabir had a change of heart. If he could, he would have gone back in time and undo what he did in a fit of rage. What he did not know was that he set her free the day he dragged her, gagged her mouth and shoved her in the back of his car. Her fiancé looked on, scared like a five-year-old. “I told you not to come out at this hour. I told you” he had screamed at her, almost blaming Veera for getting kidnapped. She had fluttered like a captured bird. she had growled through the gag, refused to eat, even tried to escape once. But Mahabir knew that in this part of the country, she could run for days and still find nothing. Finally, she came back to them, falling on her knees like a tired traitor.

37 days later, Veera was a different person. He had seen her sleeping peacefully on the rocks. He had seen her playing in water fountains from broken tube wells. He had seen her hang her head outside the truck's window and take in gulps of fresh air. It was hard to look at her and not catch her infectious dimpled smile. In captivity, she had found freedom. Who knew? Who knew the rich girl was a prisoner to her own people, in her own world. Mahabir had always hated the rich. The grapes were not sour. He knew the masks they wore. He knew they lived in palaces made of dried leaves, built on a veiled dishonesty. Veera blew the leaves of her family that night when she spoke of her uncle. He was not sure what triggered her memory, but he let her speak. Mahabir could hardly make out what she was trying to say between her heavy sobbing. “He would take me inside the bathroom,” She said, pausing only to wipe her tears violently. “I would shriek in pain. I hardly knew what was going on, I was … I was six”. He did not want to hear more. It felt like reading someone else’s private diary, like peeping in someone’s bedroom. But Veera went on. “shh ..shh, He would say, I am done. I am almost done. Don’t say anything to anyone, my little girl” She turned to him. “I told my mom. But all my mom said was Shh... Shh, Don’t say anything to anyone.”

She was silent for the rest of their journey that night. Mahabir knew better than ask her. But that one-sided conversation changed something between them. She no longer behaved like a captive, sometimes to his own exasperation. Did she take me for a friend, a confidante? She would dance with his men and ask him questions about his mother. He had shouted at her, even threatened her, warning her never to ask him questions about his past. He had lived the horrible days once. Living them once again, even if it was in his own head, would be nothing less than a torment. But the foolish girl only broke into a fit of giggles. “You are cute,” she said, pouting.

They had traveled half the country together and now he was tired. She was the daughter of a rich businessman and whatever led to her kidnapping was bygone. It only made sense to set her free. He would miss her, but what was he thinking? He could not even begin to imagine a life with her. What would she do? Be the wife of a criminal? Bear his children? It was difficult, but it was time to part. So he took her to Manali, bought her a few warm clothes and when it was time to say goodbye, he placed a phone in her hands.

“What does this mean?” She asked, confusion very clear on her face.
“Go”
“Go where Mahabir?”
“Go” He yelled.
“I am not going anywhere …listen to me Mahabir”

Why is it so difficult to see that she can have nothing to do with me.There was no point arguing and he was scared she would convince him to live out whatever fairy tale dream she had, of living on the mountains. He could not give that chance, to her and more so to himself. Mahavir gripped her hand and ran towards the two policemen he had seen while walking up. Before she could understand, he ran again, leaving her. “Mahabir” He heard her scream. But he did not dare to look back. “Yes, madam? Is there a problem?” He heard the cops say.

It was while standing at the ticket window at the bus stand that he knew she was almost as stubborn as him. She had probably followed him. “Listen to me Mahabir” she almost growled. “What is going to happen from now is not something you decide on your own. We are in this together.”

“Go and sit near the column” He whispered. She looked around, covered her head and walked away.

She had found him. She had come back running to him -- to her own kidnapper. I might have taken her away from her world, but she has made me human again. He did not know what is to happen in the future. Heck, he did not even know what will happen the next moment. But she had made him believe. Maybe he could have a life. Maybe he could be what his mother wanted him to be, unlike the beast he had become. Mahabir did not remember the last time he felt so happy. He turned towards her and smiled, maybe his brightest in years. “Yes,” He seemed to say. “We are in this together”

All Veera could do was lean her head back and cry – tears of happiness. To the world, she was kidnapped. In her heart, she was free.

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This was an idea that somebody gave in fleeting at the Writer's club -- To write down your favorite scene as a practice to 'show don't tell' concept. I wrote this because as usual I was in a dearth of original ideas. 

Consider this as a disclaimer -- "I DO NOT claim to call this my story just because I wrote it in my own words" 

Now that we have this out of our way, I really enjoyed writing a part of Highway like this. I picked this scene because A- I love Highway (although it bores you in parts, as a whole it is a great movie) and second I was totally in love with this scene because I fell in love with Randeep Hooda's smile and Alia Bhat's expressions that follows. So tell me if you enjoyed it.